Cam device for aligning and turning moving toy

ABSTRACT

Apparatus for turning movable line- or track-supported toys and aligning them with their direction of movement. A toy vehicle such as an airplane is slidably supported on a sloping line or track. The support which engages the line or track includes a shaft having a transversely extending cam follower. The toy vehicle encloses a cam surface slidably engaged by the cam follower, which supports the weight of the toy vehicle. As the toy vehicle is propelled upward along the line or track, a rudder control surface holds it in alignment with the direction of travel until it slows to a stop, at which time the weight of the vehicle acting through the cam surface on the cam follower turns the toy vehicle 180 degrees. The vehicle then glides forwardly back down the line or track in the direction from which it came.

United States Patent [191 Becker Feb. 4, 1975 CAM DEVICE FOR ALIGNING AND TURNING MOVING TOY [76] Inventor: Joseph T. Becker, 2t W. 674 Glen Valley Dr., Glen Ellyn, Ill. 60137 [22] Filed: Aug. 27, i973 21 Appl. No.: 391,684

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,600,843 8/1971 Becker 46/76 R Primary Examiner-Louis G. Mancene Assistant Examiner-Robert F. Cutting Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Dorsey, Marquart, Windhorst, West & Halladay [57] ABSTRACT Apparatus for turning movable line or tracksupported toys and aligning them with their direction of movement. A toy vehicle such as an airplane is slidably supported on a sloping line or track. The support which engages the line or track includes a shaft having a transversely extending cam follower. The toy vehicle encloses a cam surface slidably engaged by the cam follower, which supports the weight of the toy vehicle. As the toy vehicle is propelled upward along the line or track, a rudder control surface holds it in alignment with the direction of travel until it slows to a stop, at which time the weight of the vehicle acting through the cam surface on the cam follower turns the toy vehicle 180 degrees. The vehicle then glides forwardly back down the line or track in the direction from which it came.

7 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures CAM DEVICE FOR ALIGNING ANDTURNING MOVING TOY BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to a gravity actuated cam device for changing the direction in which amoving my vehicle is facing with respect to an elongated member upon which it is supported.

Toys have previously been designed tosimulate the movement of real vehicles by movement of a toy vehicle along a line or track. Toy airplanes in particular have been used to simulate the experience of flying a real airplane by utilizing the controlled descent of a model airplane along a sloping line. U.S; Pat. No. 3,600,843 entitled Toy" is an example of such art. This simulation has been made the more real by launching the model upward along the line, allowing it to pivot back to face the launch point after it has stopped at some point on the line, and controlling the subsequent descent to a simulated landing. Application Ser. No. 173,406, entitled Toy," filed Aug. 20, 1971, now US. Pat. No. 3,838,855 is representative of such art. Prior examples of such pivoting toys have not disclosed any means for positively and accurately controlling the alignment of the toy with its direction of travel nor for positively initiating the change of alignment.

SUMMARY The object of this inventionis to provide a positive means for initiating, controlling, and stopping a change in the direction in which a toy vehicle is facing with respect to a line or track upon which it is supported or from which it is suspended.

The invention includes a cam surface affixed to the toy vehicle, which may be a model airplane for example, and a cam follower suspended from a line and in contact with the cam surface, so that the weight of the model is borne upon the inclined surface of the cam. The resulting turning moment is resisted by the side thrust of a rudder control surface, so long as the toy is moving forward. This side thrust presses the vertical initial face on the cam sideways against the cam follower, thus positively controlling the alignment of the model. When the toy vehicle ceases to move forward, the side thrust is no longer present, and the weight of the toy pressing the inclined cam surface against the directionally fixed cam follower causes the toy vehicle to turn. The extent of the turn is controlled by the shape of the cam surface. A notch in this surface holds the toy vehicle aligned in the proper direction for its return along the line or track. A slot in the toy and in the part incorporating the cam surface allows the cam follower and attached suspension device to be removed completely from the toy vehicle.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 represents the my vehicle, in this case an airplane, during its ascent along the sloping line, with the cam follower in contact with the initial face of the cam;

FIG. 2 represents the toy vehicle stopped at the top of its ascent, with the weight of the vehicle causing it to turn on the cam follower;

FIG. 3 represents the toy vehicle during its descent down the sloping line, with the alignment fixed by the cam follower riding in the final notch on the cam surface; and

FIG. 4 shows the method of insertion and removal of the support, shaft, and cam follower.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT As shown in FIG. I a vehicle, that is a toy airplane 10, is suspended from a support line 20. The means of suspension is a hanger 21 bent from a single wire in such a fashion that two separate hooked portions 22 engage the line. The hanger thus cannot pivot upon the line. The two ends of the wire hanger are affixed to the top of a shaft 12. The shaft is thus also restrained from pivoting with respect to the support line. A cam follower 13 is affixed to one side of the shaft at its lower end.

Referring to FIG. 4, it will be seen that inside the hollow fuselage of the toy airplane 10 is a hollow cylinder 11 which is affixed to the upper inside surface of the fuselage in such a manner that the axis of the cylinder is substantially vertical when the toy airplane is upright. The hollow portion of the cylinder is aligned with a hole 15 in the upper surface of the fuselage. The cylinder II has an inclined cam surface 14 formed upon its lower end. A keyway 16 extends through the entire length of the cylinder and through the upper fuselage.

As shown in FIG. 4, the cam follower and shaft are inserted into the toy airplane by aligning the cam follower 13 with the slot 16. The shaft 12 is of such a length that when it is fully inserted, the cam follower is below the lowest part of the cylinder. The shaft is then turned until the cam follower is adjacent the lowest part of the cam surface, at which time the shaft is drawn upward until the cam follower is in contact with the cam surface. The hanger 21 then may be engaged with the support line 20 with the toy airplane facing in the proper direction.

Referring again to FIG. 1, because the two hooked portions 22 ofthe hanger prevent the hanger, shaft, and cam follower from turning, the weight of the toy airplane acting through the cam surface l4 resting upon the cam follower 13 generates a turning moment which tends to turn the airplane. The airplane is propelled along the support line 20, which is sloped so that the airplane is at this time ascending as it moves forward. The rudder 30 of the toy airplane is fixed at an angle so that as the airplane is propelled through the air, a side force is generated on the tail sufficient to counteract the turning moment generated by the weight ofthe airplane acting through the cam. The side force generated by the rudder of course varies with the speed. The rudder may be set so that sufficient force is generated to counteract the turning moment due to the cam even at low speeds. To prevent the toy airplane from being turned too far to one side at higher speeds, a vertical initial face 31 may be formed on the cam surface. This face bears against the side of the cam follower 13 when the rudder is generating more force than is required to counteract the turning moment generated by the cam. The toy airplane is thus held in alignment with the support line while it is moving forward.

Referring now to FIG. 2, as the toy airplane moves upward along the support line, its speed lessens and tinally becomes zero. As the speed is reduced to the point where the rudder no longer generates a side force sufficient to counteract the turning moment ot'the cam, the toy airplane will begin to turn. The weight of the airplane causes the cam surface 14 to be drawn down over the cam follower 13, thus turning the airplane,

until the cam follower contacts the final notch 32, where the cam surface forms an enclosed angle as shown in FIG. 3. The cam follower 13 is caught in this enclosed angle. thus stopping the turn of the toy airplane, which is now aligned with the support line but facing 180 from its initial direction of travel. The toy airplane is now drawn by gravity back along the sloping support line in the direction from which it came. The side force generated by the rudder 30 is now resisted by the cam follower l3 caught in the enclosed angle on the cam surface so that the airplane is not turned out of alignment with the support line.

Although a specific embodiment of the invention is shown and described above, it is apparent that modifications and variations which do not depart from the scope and spirit of the invention will occur to those skilled in the art. For example, the vehicle may take the form of a bird, an automobile, or some other moving shape; the vehicle need not be suspended, but could be supported upon a track running below the vehicle; and the cam surface need not be affixed to the vehicle but could be a part of the support means, while the cam follower could be affixed to the vehicle. Consequently, it is intended that the invention is to be limited only by the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

l. in a toy including a vehicle supportable on an inclined elongated support surface, so as to be movable along the longitudinal axis of such support surface, means for changing the direction in which the vehicle is facing with reference to the support surface, comprising:

a cam surface;

a cam follower adapted to slidably engage the cam surface with the weight of the vehicle supported by Sit contact between the cam surface and the cam follower, and with either the cam surface or the cam follower being supported by the inclined support surface; such that the weight of the supported vehicle induces a rotation of the cam follower relative to the cam surface, thereby rotating the supported vehicle;

means for heading the vehicle in one direction and for releasing it for pivoting through a desired angle; and

means for stopping the turn after the desired angle is reached.

2. The toy of claim I wherein the cam surface is affixed to the vehicle; and the cam follower is affixed to a member engaged with the vehicle support in a directionally fixed relationship with the support surface.

3. The toy of claim I wherein the cam follower is affixed to the vehicle and the cam surface is affixed to a member engaged with the vehicle support in a directionally fixed relationship with the support surface.

4. The toy of claim 1 wherein the means of holding the vehicle facing in one direction until the proper time for it to be turned is a control surface acting by the pressure of air against the control surface as the vehicle moves through the air.

5. The toy of claim 1 wherein the means of stopping the turn is an enclosed angle on the cam surface.

6. The toy of claim I wherein the cam surface is formed upon one end of a hollow cylinder affixed to the vehicle, and the cam follower is affixed to a shaft rotatably and slidably enclosed within said cylinder.

7. The toy of claim 5 wherein the cylinder upon which the cam surface is formed contains a slot for removal of the cam follower and shaft from the cylinder. i l i i 

1. In a toy including a vehicle supportable on an inclined elongated support surface, so as to be movable along the longitudinal axis of such support surface, means for changing the direction in which the vehicle is facing with reference to the support surface, comprising: a cam surface; a cam follower adapted to slidably engage the cam surface with the weight of the vehicle supported by contact between the cam surface and the cam follower, and with either the cam surface or the cam follower being supported by the inclined support surface; such that the weight of the supported vehicle induces a rotation of the cam follower relative to the cam surface, thereby rotating the supported vehicle; means for heading the vehicle in one direction and for releasing it for pivoting through a desired angle; and means for stopping the turn after the desired angle is reached.
 2. The toy of claim 1 wherein the cam surface is affixed to the vehicle; and the cam follower is affixed to a member engaged with the vehicle support in a directionally fixed relationship with the support surface.
 3. The toy of claim 1 wherein the cam follower is affixed to the vehicle and the cam surface is affixed to a member engaged with the vehicle support in a directionally fixed relationship with the support surface.
 4. The toy of claim 1 wherein the means of holding the vehicle facing in one direction until the proper time for it to be turned is a control surface acting by the pressure of air against the control surface as the vehicle moves through the air.
 5. The toy of claim 1 wherein the means of stopping the turn is an enclosed angle on the cam surface.
 6. The toy of claim 1 wherein the cam surface is formed upon one end of a hollow cylinder affixed to the vehicle, and the cam follower is affixed to a shaft rotatably and slidably enclosed within said cylinder.
 7. The toy of claim 5 wherein the cylinder upon which the cam surface is formed contains a slot for removal of the cam follower and shaft from the cylinder. 